


hello, mr. netherlands

by feyrith



Series: nedden week 2019 [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Developing Relationship, M/M, NedDen, Nordics, Past Relationship(s), Romance, implied DenNor, nedden week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-27 11:43:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19790179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feyrith/pseuds/feyrith
Summary: Mathias attends an interview for a teaching position at a university after moving to the Netherlands, and the headmaster has his heart from the first glance.





	hello, mr. netherlands

**Author's Note:**

> written for day 2: work/jobs of [nedden week 2019](https://neddenweek.tumblr.com/)  
> thank you to the [bicycle boys discord server](https://discordapp.com/invite/uuu2wsh) for their assistance, inspiration, and encouragement with this fic. i know there's still a handful of mistakes in it but i hope you all enjoy it nonetheless

Mathias fidgets with his tie clip as he sits in the reception of the local university. It had only been five minutes, but he felt like he’d been sitting and waiting for an hour; he wasn’t sure why he was so nervous when he was usually so confident and self-assured. Perhaps it was simply that it’d been so long since his last job interview. The move from Denmark to the Netherlands was, admittedly, not an enormous change, but the teacher was still stressed that he would remain without employment, which didn’t fare well for his dwindling supply of cash. A hand rakes through what had been neatly styled hair, pushing it upwards into its natural, windswept coiffure, ruining the twenty minutes of effort Mathias had put in to making it orderly that morning.

He’s shaken from his spiralling thoughts when he hears his name being called, standing quickly and flashing the receptionist a winning smile. “Wish me luck,” he whispers to her, hearing her soft laugh and murmured well wishes as he moves through to the headmaster’s office. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” he starts, though his words taper off as he lays eyes on the man who had stood up from his chair to greet Mathias. Tall, was the first thing that came to his mind, though he himself certainly wasn’t short. Blond, lean, his expression settled into an unreadable mask. The headmaster’s eyes are just shy of green, and the Dane’s mouth is suddenly dry as he fumbles to put his papers down on the desk between them and hold out a hand for the other man to shake. “Mathias,” he says, before spitting out, “Østergaard,” when an eyebrow is raised expectantly.

“Willem van der Meer.” A hand gestures to the seat on Mathias’ side of the desk before he settles in his own again. Mathias can only imagine those long legs stretching out and crossing at the ankle underneath the mahogany, but he’s quick to clear his throat and take his own seat, a polite smile settling on his face. As much as he wants to look around Willem’s office, he makes himself keep his gaze focused on the headmaster, watching as he shuffles through some papers and picks up a pen, his smile widening when hazel eyes meet his own. Hopefully, there would be time to look around later and learn more about the other man; for now, he has one chance to win the austere headmaster over.

The majority of the questions asked are ones Mathias has answered in previous interviews, but he knows now just how to answer whilst remaining honest. Usually, he wouldn’t mind stretching the truth a little, but there’s something about Willem that makes him feel like one false word out of his mouth would automatically be known and have him rejected without a second thought. 

Mathias remains so still for the length of his interview that when Willem finally relaxes back in his chair, the Dane notices just how much of his lower half is feeling rather numb. Shifting in his seat, he finally glances around the office as the other man writes in his notepad; a neatly kept and organised bookcase takes up the back wall behind the desk, while the wall to his right boasts a large window, filling the room with natural sunlight and the crisp spring morning air. On the wall to his left, there are several framed awards and photographs, and a large collage of newspaper clippings talking about the university. He scans over the headings, but the majority of the writing is too small for him to read from where he’s sat. In the corner next to the door, there’s a potted plant, neatly trimmed and looking as well cared for as those in the gardens outside. Mathias wonders if Willem cares for it himself, or if the gardener comes in to make sure it doesn’t die. 

Azure eyes are quick to refocus on the Dutchman when he hears his name once again; he thinks he rather likes the sound of it coming from Willem’s lips, though he’s quick to internally scold himself, the voice in his head reminding him he really should be focusing on the words following his name when he’s about to learn if he’ll be eating decent meals or packet noodles within the week. 

“I will host a meeting with the rest of the staff in the faculty you have applied for,” the headmaster continues, his expression not giving Mathias any hint as to if he was aware of the other man’s thoughts. “But I am confident we have a place here for you. I will ring you tomorrow to tell you either way.”

His widest smile yet stretches across his face, unable to contain his relief at what sounded like assured employment. “Thank you, Mr. Van der Meer,” he says earnestly, having to contain himself from leaning across the desk to hug the other. “I look forward to your call.” Somehow, he manages to retain an air of professionalism as he gathers up his things and stands, shaking the headmaster’s hand again before exiting the office, passing through the reception and out to where his car is parked, only doing a little jig of joy once he’s fished his keys out of his suit jacket pocket. 

Unlocking his car, he dumps his paperwork on the passenger seat, loosening his tie and popping the first button of his dress shirt to suck in a deep breath of air, his shoulders sagging in relief. He sends up a silent prayer to whoever is listening that the rest of the faculty staff approve of him as he settles in behind the wheel, starting the engine and fiddling with the radio until he finds a station with something upbeat. A glance in the rearview mirror lets him know that he ruined his hair styling efforts earlier, holding his tongue between his teeth as he attempts to flatten it all back down again before musing it up once more. He didn’t need slicked hair to get a job. Grinning at his reflection, he gives himself a flirty wink before his attention shifts to a movement in the carpark, pink dusting his cheeks at the two students who are clearly trying to hide their laughter at him. He can only hope they aren’t in any of his lectures as he offers them a wave, finally putting his car into gear to leave the campus and head back home. 

* * *

Over the next twenty-four hours, Mathias does his best to keep himself busy despite how much he wants to sit on his couch and stare at his phone, waiting for it to ring with a definite answer from Willem. Yet as slow at it feels, time does pass. He manages to fall asleep at some point during the middle of the night after watching several movies he’d had on his ‘to watch’ list for at least half a year, and is woken early the next morning by the ring of a bicycle’s bell out on the street. Yawning as he rubs the sleep from his eyes, he forces himself not to look at his phone for a call he knows he hasn’t missed. 

Logically, Mathias knows that he’s unlikely to receive a call until that afternoon, yet he can’t bring himself to find an activity to occupy his time lest he not hear his phone ringing. He’s dozing on the couch sometime after midday when the shrill tone startles him to alertness, quick to grab the device and accept the call. “Hello, Mathias speaking,” he manages to say, hoping he doesn’t sound too eager. 

“Hello, Mathias.” Willem’s smooth voice comes through the line, and the Dane can’t suppress the shiver that runs down his spine; he may not be able to see the headmaster’s handsome face, but his voice alone is enough to spark his imagination. “I hope I haven’t interrupted anything, but I thought you would like to hear the decision as soon as possible.”

“Yes. No. You didn’t interrupt anything,” Mathias says, stumbling over his words and scowling at himself in the reflection of his television. “I’m glad you called. I’ve been waiting.”

There’s a low laugh from the Dutchman, and Mathias can hear him shuffling through some papers. “When can you come in to look over your contract, Mr. Østergaard?” he asks. “There is some time before the next semester, but it would be best to have all the paperwork sorted before the administration staff get their break.”

Mathias is quiet, having to process what Willem had just said. “Sorry,” he says quickly when the other says his name questioningly. “Sorry, I just- You sounded pretty confident yesterday but I’m honestly still shocked. Thank you, Mr. Van der Meer. I can come in this afternoon, or tomorrow. Whenever.” 

There’s a soft hum, and Mathias can imagine Willem looking through his planner. “Tomorrow morning will suit,” he says, “if it does for you. If I can’t see you, then Marie will take care of you.” Mathias isn’t sure who Marie is, but he’s sure he’ll find out tomorrow.

“Tomorrow morning,” the Dane says in agreement; he briefly considers finding a pen to write down a reminder, but he highly doubts he’ll need one. “I will see you then, hopefully.” He scolds himself for adding on the ‘hopefully’, but knows trying to correct himself will only make it worse. He just hopes Willem thinks nothing of it, and with the man seeming so direct and sombre, he doubts it’ll be thought about twice.

“See you then,” the headmaster says before the call ends. Unable to contain his excitement and sheer relief, Mathias nearly throws his phone across the room as he fist pumps the air, momentarily grateful he’s in the privacy of his home where no students will catch his celebration. 

Taking in a deep breath to compose himself again, he sits back down and unlocks his phone to navigate to the group chat he’s in with his friends from his own university days. 

_Mathias | 13:06  
_ _guess who just got a job !!!_

_Mathias | 13:06  
_ _it’s me. i got hired_

It doesn’t take long for him to get a response, unable to contain his smile as he opens the chat again to read the response.

_Svein | 13:09  
_ _Well done, Mathias. You were confident your move to the Netherlands would be good for you and your hard work is paying off. Just remember Erik and I aren’t there to keep you in line like when we were studying._

_Mathias | 13:10  
_ _i’m a big boy now, svein. i don’t need you guys to babysit me :p but thanks_

_Erik | 13:14  
_ _Not so sure about that, but congratulations Mathias. You should be proud of yourself._

Though rather stiff in both mannerisms and speech, Mathias did love Svein and Erik, and knew he owed a lot to the both of them. That wasn’t to say Mathias isn’t capable of working hard and independently… He had just required a little help keeping himself in line when he was younger and at university. Now, nearing his thirties, he was rather glad he’d gotten the majority of it out of his system when he did. There were times when he wondered why Svein and Erik had stuck around, but he always reminded himself not to look a gift horse in the mouth before his thoughts spiralled too much. 

_Mathias | 13:16  
_ _the headmaster is also really hot so it’s a double win_

He’s going to be scolded for that, but he’s never been particularly good at keeping his crushes, however shallow, on the down low.

_Svein | 13:20  
_ _Don’t sleep with your boss, Mathias. Especially after just getting the job._

_Mathias | 13:21  
_ _so little faith !! i’m not going to, don’t worry. doubt he’s even into guys, but i can still appreciate his handsome face_

_Erik | 13:25  
_ _Don’t go trying to find out if he is, Mathias._

He sighs at his phone, knowing that the Norwegian and Swede are right; he can think Headmaster Van der Meer handsome, but nothing more. He needs to focus on his job and the students, not the man who signs his payslips. 

_Mathias | 13:28  
_ _i won’t, i promise. i’m going to focus on my students and make sure i take the position of their favourite professor B)_

Setting his phone aside and standing from the couch, Mathias makes his way to the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge to take out one of the last bottles of beer. He makes a mental note to buy more when he gets his groceries next as he digs through a drawer of utensils to pull out a bottle opener, lifting the beer to the emptiness of his apartment before taking a swig. Admittedly, drinking alone isn’t the best past time, but he deserves to have a little bit of a celebration. He’ll have enough money to actually buy more beer next week; the realisation that he’s secured himself a steady income makes him sit down as palpable relief washes through his body. There’s a weight lifted off his shoulders that had been settled there since he first decided to move to the Netherlands, and Mathias can’t help the giddy laugh that escapes him before he takes another mouthful of his beer. Maybe, with that stress lifted, the Netherlands can start to feel like home.

* * *

The next afternoon finds Mathias chewing his lip as he tries to tie his tie in a perfect knot, something he’d never managed to achieve despite all his efforts. He eventually gives up and goes with what he’s got, grabbing his jacket before heading out to his car to drive across town to the university campus. There’s a spring in his step as he steps out and makes his way to the main office, greeting the receptionist with a bright smile. “Good afternoon,” he says cheerily. “Mr. Van der Meer asked me to come in to sign my employment contract.” Without the nervousness he’d been experiencing the day of his interview, he finally notices the name badge pinned to the woman’s blouse - _Marie_ , it reads, and he thinks back to his phone call with Willem and now understands he’d been talking about his receptionist. 

“Wonderful,” Marie says. “I’ll let him know you’re here if you’ll just take a seat.” Mathias wanders over to the chairs he’d sat in only the other day, listening as Marie phones through to Willem, blinking in surprise when he hears her call him brother; that was a relation he certainly hadn’t expected, with Willem being so imposing and stern, and though he’d said all of twenty words to Marie, she seemed sweet - sweeter than her brother looked to be capable of. 

He averts his gaze from the receptionist before she can catch him staring at her - she was cute, but he couldn’t go falling for a pair of siblings, especially siblings who worked together at the same place of employment as himself. His thoughts continue down the path of reminding himself why it’s bad to have workplace relations that aren’t strictly focused on work, once again being brought back to reality by that deep, alluring voice of Willem’s. Standing quickly, he rebuttons his jacket and makes his way into the office, greeting the headmaster with the same smile he’d given Marie.

“It’s good to see you’re pleased about this, Mr. Østergaard,” the Dutchman says, and Mathias thinks he sees the hint of a smile pull at Willem’s lips, making his heart skip a beat like he’s back in high school and his crush looked at him for more than a few seconds at a time. 

“Of course I am!” he says, taking his seat and trying not to bounce a knee to release some of his excited energy. “I moved to the Netherlands for work, and this university was my first choice when I was putting in my applications. I’d be an idiot if I wasn’t excited.”

Willem hums, opening up a folder and taking out a sheaf of papers to hand over to Mathias. “I am sure the students will appreciate your energy, Mathias,” he says. “Now, that’s your proposition of employment and your staff contract. Take your time to read through it, let me know if there are any changes you want to make.” And with that, he turns back to his own work, leaving Mathias in silence to read through the thick wad of paper.

The Dane can’t help but be a little surprised that he’s allowed to remain in the office with the headmaster as he makes his way through the documents, chewing absently at a thumbnail as he reads. Nearly three-quarters of an hour later, he finally sets them all down on the desk, groaning softly as he rolls his neck before nodding. “It all sounds good to me. No complaints about anything in there.”

The headmaster turns his attention from his computer screen to Mathias, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes though his expression remains otherwise neutral. “Wonderful. If you’re ready to sign…” A heavy, good quality pen is handed over, Mathias weighing it in his hand before he flips through the marked pages, signing and dating until he reaches the end of the documents again. Willem then takes them to add his own signature when required, before tucking the papers back into the folder marked with Mathias’ name and setting it aside to be filled away again.

“You’ll need to have your photograph taken for your university identification,” he says as he stands, Mathias following his lead. “Gabriël will help you with that.” He calls in another man, who enters the office with a smile, holding out a hand to shake as he introduces himself.

“Gabriël Kieffer,” he says, and Mathias is surprised by the strong grip the svelte man possesses as he shakes his hand in return. “I’m Willem’s assistant. You’ve accepted the position if you’re needing a photograph taken. That’s wonderful to hear… Willem has been finicky in hiring another lecturer.” 

That earns a raised eyebrow from the Dane, who glances over to the headmaster to see his reaction and finding himself rather unsurprised at the neutral mask he’s greeted with. “None of them fit the profile,” he says simply, glancing to Mathias before looking back to his assistant. “There’s a while until the next semester, but help Mr. Østergaard set everything up, please.”

Gabriël nods, and gestures for Mathias to follow him as he leads the way out of the headmaster’s office and down the connecting hallway to his own. “If you ever need anything and Willem isn’t available, you can always come to me,” he says. “Some of the staff and students are a little intimidated by him… I’m used to being a messenger.” Unlocking his door, he allows Mathias to enter first, closing the door behind them again. “We’ll set up your email and everything first. The machine that prints the identification likes to have an email entered and the university one is just the easiest.” 

Taking a seat, Mathias watches as Gabriël opens up the programs needed on the large, curved screen of his desktop, answering any questions the other man asks as he fills out forms. Half an hour later, the headmaster’s assistant has everything set up for Mathias, handing him a card that has his email and auto-generated password written down on it. “And now, your photo. Follow me.”

Once again, the other man leads the way out of the office and through the rest of the administration building until they reach another room, this one for storing various electronic items. Pulling down a plain backdrop, he moves to set up the camera and printing machine, finding Mathias in the system now that all his details had been entered. “Alright. Feel free to smile. This isn’t a passport photo.” Gabriël gives Mathias a smile of his own as he moves to stand behind the camera, framing the Danish man and giving him a countdown before the shutter goes off. “Ah. That’s a nice one. Happy with that?” He allows the new lecturer to come over and take a look, Mathias nodding in approval. 

“Looks good,” he says, watching as Gabriël hits print, the machine soon spitting out a brand new identification card, completed with Mathias’ details and his photo. Picking it up, he tucks it away into his wallet behind his driver’s licence where it’ll be safe.

“I believe that was everything Willem wanted me to help you with this afternoon, so you’re free to head home or take a stroll around the campus. Might help to introduce yourself to the other staff now to get some roots down. There will be an induction for you before the semester starts, but I personally find trying to remember so many names at once a little difficult.” Gabriël shuts down the computer and printer, looking up the scant height difference between them to meet Mathias’ eyes, his expression sympathetic. “I would help you with introductions myself, but I know if I leave my office for any longer I’ll never catch up on the paperwork.”

Mathias waves a hand in assurance, giving the assistant an easy smile. “It’s fine. I’m sure I can find some staff to get acquainted with.” He follows Gabriël back down the hallway, pausing outside his office door. “Thanks for your help. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.” 

Gabriël returns Mathias’ smile, shaking his hand again. “I’m sure you will. Just send me an email if you need help with anything.” He disappears back into his office, leaving the Dane alone in the hallway. Making his way back out to the main reception, he heads up to the front desk to lean against it, flashing Marie a flirty smile. “I’m guessing you don’t have the time to give me my first official tour of the campus… So do you have a map somewhere back there?”

The receptionist hums in thought as she reaches for a folded pamphlet in the rack next to her desk, handing it over with a smile of her own. “If the students can manage, I’m sure you can too, Mr. Østergaard.”

Accepting the map, Mathias opens it up and looks over the illustrated aerial view of the university campus, figuring out where he is and mapping out a mental route to take in order to familiarise himself with as much as he could in one hit. “Still… A pretty tour guide is always welcome.” He folds the map up again, giving Marie a wave as he turns on his heel and heads out to start his exploration.

* * *

As the weeks pass and the semester comes to the end, Mathias spends his time working on lesson plans and getting to know other staff on campus. He even gets to know some of the students he’ll be teaching when he actually starts teaching, having sat in on a few of the lectures of the professor he’ll be filling in for. And though he doesn’t want to admit it, each time he is on campus, he tries to find an excuse to at least see Willem; a surprisingly difficult task considering how little the headmaster seems to leave his office. Each time he considers walking past the man’s office window, he thinks about what Svein and Erik had said when he first told them he’d gotten the position, and that he has no desire to be considered a stalker.

Mathias doesn’t see Willem again properly until he nearly collides with him when exiting the library one Friday afternoon, several textbooks he thought he could use to add some more sources to his presentations in his arms. He manages to step back before the upset books meet his feet, wide eyes looking up to meet the Dutchman’s gaze. 

“Headmaster!” he blurts, like he’s back studying in university instead of holding a teaching position. Making matters worse, it feels weirdly like a cliché school scene when they both kneel down to gather up the spilled books, their hands brushing as they reach for the same one in unison. Pink blooms over Mathias’ cheeks, but he doesn’t snatch his hand back, the touch lingering for a moment longer before Willem picks up the book and holds it out to Mathias. 

“Thank you,” the Dane says, wishing their hands would touch again as he takes the textbook back, adding it to the pile in his arms before he stands again. “I’m sorry about that… I wasn’t looking where I was going.” 

“Mm, I know you weren’t,” Willem says, but there’s a teasing undercurrent in his voice that assures Mathias the head of the university isn’t going to lecture him about it. “It’s good to see you’re making use of the library, though. I don’t invest thousands in it for nothing.” He steps to the side, gently tugging at Mathias’ sleeve to get him to move for a few students that are leaving the building. Mathias feels heat spread through his arm from the simple contact.

“You make it sound like I’m a student who needs to study more,” he says with a laugh. “No, I just found some I haven’t read before. Information from different textbooks help me have another way to explain it to those students who don’t understand the first time. I want to be prepared for my classes so I don’t get overwhelmed when the next semester starts.” He tries not to think about how there seems to be something akin to pride in Willem’s green eyes. 

“I might have to come sit in on some of your lectures, Mr. Østergaard,” the taller man says. “See you in action in person. A video is well and good, but it’s hard to gauge the…” He pauses, seemingly searching for the right word.

“Energy?” Mathias offers, earning a short nod of agreement.

“Yes, energy. And I believe your classes will have plenty of it. As I said when you signed your contract, I’m sure your students will appreciate it. I have already heard talk around campus of how they are eager for you to start.”

Mathias can’t help but beam with pride at that, his chest puffing up slightly with it; it was also nice to have his ego stroked, and it was even nicer when it was done by his crush. “I look forward to seeing you in my classes then, Mr. Van der Meer,” he teases, earning another hint of a smile before the headmaster excuses him and continues into the library, leaving Mathias standing there with his armful of books and a growing determination to earn a full smile, teeth and all, from the Dutchman. 

* * *

The semester ends and the mid-year break starts. The closer it gets to the date that Mathias will be teaching his first lecture at the university, the more excited he gets about it all. He spends several hours each day making sure everything for each lecture he’s organised is perfect, unsure which one Willem would decide to drop in on.

As Gabriël had said all those weeks ago, there is an induction held for Mathias, though he was more inclined to call it a social dinner. The majority of the teaching staff meet at a restaurant in town, and to his delight, Mathias finds himself sat next to Willem. On his other side is another member of the science faculty, a man who introduces himself a Matthieu. 

“We have variants of the same name,” Mathias says cheerily, earning a laugh from other, who tells the Dane how he’s from Canada, came over one year for the Tulip Festival, and never ended up leaving. But despite how much Mathias enjoys conversing with Matthieu, his focus keeps drifting to Willem on his other side, listening when he occasionally joins in the conversation around the table, watching as long, elegant fingers hold his cutlery or pick up his glass. 

When Willem excuses himself after the main meal to step outside and have a smoke, Mathias can’t help but chew the insides of his cheeks as he watches him go. “There’s something alluring about him, isn’t there?” Matthieu asks quietly, leaning in slightly so he’s not overheard. Embarrassed pink spreads over Mathias’ cheeks at having been obvious enough for his new friend to notice, but he plays it off with a shrug.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he says, trying to sound nonchalant, but the look the Canadian gives him tells Mathias that he failed. 

“Do you smoke?” Matthieu asks. “Why don’t you go out and join him?” Mathias is surprised that another member of staff is encouraging his infatuation, but he puts it down to the fact that Matthieu genuinely seems to be that nice of a person. Pulling himself and his courage together, he nods and stands, making his way out to where Willem is leaning against the wall and taking slow drags of his cigarette.

“Mind if I join you?” he asks to announce his presence. The Dutchman lazily opens his eyes, giving a single nod in permission. Mathias smiles and moves to lean against the building beside him, blinking when Willem pulls his box of cigarettes from his pocket, flipping open the lid in offering. Taking one, he murmurs a thank you, settling it between his lips and holding his breath as the other man leans in to press the burning end of his own cigarettes to Mathias’, holding it there until it lights. Finally, Mathias breathes, opening his eyes after exhaling a plume of smoke, only to be greeted with Willem’s steady gaze.

Pink spreads across Mathias’ cheeks, breaking the eye contact as he glances away, taking another drag from his cigarette. “Thank you,” he says again, “for organising this for me. It’s been really nice. Nice to talk to the other staff when they’re not stressing about their work. I think it’s as good for them as it was for me.” His gaze drifts back to the taller man, watching as he settles his cigarette back between his lips and having to actively try not to think about them wrapping around something else.

“You’re welcome,” Willem says simply when he exhales again. “We do this for all the new teaching staff. But I don’t share my smokes with all of them.” He crushes the butt against the bricks behind them, snuffing it out before he drops it in the ashtray at their feet. “We still have dessert to go.” With that, he pushes away from the wall and heads back inside the restaurant, leaving Mathias alone to hastily finish off his cigarette, not wanting to waste it knowing how fortunate he’d been to simply be offered one.

Once he’s finished and dropped his rubbish into the ashtray, he hurries back inside and takes his seat again, smiling sheepishly when Matthieu wrinkles his nose at him in jest. Desserts are ordered now that the man of the hour has returned, and Mathias eagerly digs into the slice of chocolate cake that is set before him when the orders are brought out, looking to Willem when he hears something akin to a soft noise of amusement. 

“What?” he asks after swallowing his mouthful, licking the back of his dessert fork clean of ganache. The headmaster simply takes another mouthful of his own serving, saying nothing in response to Mathias’ question, leaving him to wonder if he’d even made the noise at all.

Once dessert is finished, the bill is brought out and split before people start to say their goodbyes and head home for the night. Eventually, it’s just Mathias and Willem left, the Dane having to scold himself for his reluctance to leave the other man’s company. 

“Do you cycle?” the headmaster asks out of the blue, surprising Mathias with the suddenness of the question.

“I do, yeah. Why?” he asks, pulling his jacket off the back of his chair to shrug it on, patting his pockets to make sure he has all his belongings. 

“Tomorrow afternoon. I’ll text you the address. Meet me there.” And then with a curt goodbye, Willem leaves. Mathias’ phone soon vibrates with a text, the notification stating the address of a nearby park. His confusion at the abruptness of it quickly becomes elation, unlocking his phone to send Willem a simple thumbs up emoji in response, before moving to the group chat with Svein and Erik.

_Mathias | 21:55  
_ _does being asked to go biking with someone count as a date??_

He shoves his phone back into his pocket and makes his way out to where his car is parked, driving back to his apartment and hurrying inside and upstairs, nearly throwing himself on his couch once he’s let himself in and toed off his shoes. Pulling his phone out to open the messages he heard arrive while driving, he chews his lower lip as he reads his friends’ responses.

_Svein | 22:01  
_ _Depends. Was it specified as a date? Is it just going to be the two of you?_

_Svein | 22:01  
_ _Who asked you to go biking?_

_Erik | 22:02  
_ _You pay first round next time we meet if it’s the headmaster he was telling us about when he first got the job._

Mathias snorts at that, quick to tap out his response.

_Mathias | 22:04  
_ _i think it’s just us. he asked me out of the blue and texted me the address. yeah, it’s willem_

_Mathias | 22:04  
_ _he also gave me a cigarette tonight and lit it off his own, and said he never gives anyone else his cigarettes. i don’t know what to think? i’m probably overthinking this. he’s just being nice because i’m new. he’s very blunt in his niceness though. i like it._

_Mathias | 22:05  
_ _i like him._

He sends those three words without thinking about it, but feels instant regret when the read notification shows beneath the text bubble. It must be true if he said it without thinking; he’d always been told by his mother that the first thoughts that come to mind are the truest, but he knew his friends weren’t going to be very impressed with him. Svein’s next message makes him flush in embarrassment, sighing at the fact that the Norwegian and Swede had obviously discussed Mathias’ predicament in their private messages.

_Svein | 22:07  
_ _You owe me, Erik. I told you he wouldn’t be able to help himself._

_Erik | 22:09  
_ _I’ll send it through now…_

_Erik | 22:10  
_ _Mathias, do you think meeting with him to ride together is for the best? If you think he’s simply being nice… Svein and I don’t want you brokenhearted. Again._

The Dane cringes at that; a broken heart for Mathias meant plenty of snot and tears. He couldn’t help that he was an emotional man! And he certainly didn’t want to put Erik and Svein through the pain of helping him put all the pieces back together again like they did with barely a complaint in university. It had been embarrassing when he was barely twenty, he could hardly stand to think how embarrassing it would be now.

_Mathias | 22:12  
_ _i already agreed… what excuse could i give him to pull out? besides, i haven’t ridden in so long and the exercise will do me good._

_Svein | 22:12  
_ _That sounds like an excuse to me._

Mathias sighs. It sounds like an excuse to himself as well, but the thought of cancelling on Willem when he knew it was something he’d probably offered to very people filled him with guilt and sadness. 

_Mathias | 22:14  
_ _it’ll be fine. i’ll focus on riding and not him. promise. it’s just a silly crush_

Rubbing at his eyes, he stands and makes his way to the bedroom, undressing himself as he goes and kicking his clothes into a pile near the door to be put in the laundry later. After brushing his teeth, he crawls into bed, making sure his alarm is set for the next morning and leaving his friends on read before setting his phone aside to charge and settling down for sleep.

* * *

Mathias allows himself to sleep in the next morning until he finally can’t keep his eyes closed any longer. Crawling out of bed, he makes himself a cup of coffee and sits down to watch the midmorning news, though he’s more focused on plugging the address Willem had texted him into Google maps and seeing where the park is than what the newscasters are saying.

The afternoon arrives slower than he would’ve liked, but when the time that Willem had said to meet rolls around, Mathias is sitting on his bicycle under the shade of a tree near the park entrance. He’d dressed himself in a tank top and a pair of athletic shorts, choosing comfort over fashion. The afternoon sun and slight breeze feels nice against his skin, leaning his forearms against the handlebars and eyes closing to relax until there’s a disturbance beside him. Opening his eyes, he grins when he sees Willem, sitting upright again as he tries to subtly look the other man over. 

The Dutchman’s legs seem to go on for miles in the shorts that he’s dressed in, and a simple shirt replaces the usual neatly pressed dress shirt and tie. “Hey,” Mathias says in greeting, hoping he doesn’t sound as breathless as he feels. He thought the other man in a well-fitting suit was thought-provoking enough, but seeing him in such casual clothing had a different kind of allure. 

“Hello,” Willem responds. He seems more relaxed than he is around the university campus, balancing the bike between his legs as he looks at Mathias. “Have you ridden around here much?” He earns a shake of the head in response, humming as he thinks. “Alright. I’ll take you along one of my favourite trails. Doesn’t go through the main part of town, so it’s a nice, easy ride.”

Mathias can’t help but feel flattered that he’s going to be shown something Willem enjoys enough to call his favourite, nodding in eager agreement. “Sounds great. Lead the way.” He pushes off as the other does, following slightly behind him instead of riding abreast seeing as he unsure of the path they’d be taking; definitely not because it gave him the perfect chance to steal looks at the other man’s rear, perfectly defined as his shorts are pulled tight with each movement of his thighs. But as much as Willem’s ass was a sight to behold, the scenery they were also cycling through was beautiful, and it was easy for him to see why it was his companion’s favourite route. He was so taken by both the Dutchman and the landscape that was passing them by that he didn’t even feel the need to talk, which was something rather rare for Mathias; he’s merely content to soak up the sunshine and the company. 

After they’d been riding for twenty minutes, Willem slows and then stops, Mathias halting beside him. They were a few kilometres out of town, now surrounded by fields of wheat that rustle quietly with the slight breeze. Mathias gaze follows the horizon until it reaches the other man, holding his breath as he admires his profile; the sharpness of his jaw, the length of his nose, even the scar he has on his forehead that he’s oh so curious to know the story behind. When green eyes meet his blue, all he can do is smile, unable to bring himself to look away.

“Something on my face?” Willem asks, rubbing a hand over the slight stubble on his jaw.

“No,” Mathias answers. “Just admiring the view.” Satisfaction warms his chest at the hint of pink that spreads across the other man’s cheeks with his compliment. “That okay?”

“Hm. I suppose it is,” is the response he gets, which is good enough for him. They settle back into silence, until Willem kicks up the stand on his bike. “Ready to keep going?”

They continue on, following the roads as they loop around the outskirts of the town. With the easy pace, Mathias doesn’t struggle much keeping up, but he knew if they were going any faster, he’d be starting to feel the burn. Despite having the last half an hour to admire Willem, he still can’t help but continue to steal glances at him; it’s one such time when he’s distracted that he hits a loose rock, the front wheel jerking out from underneath his bike to send Mathias onto the road. He groans as he rolls over onto his back on the bitumen, pushing his bike off his lower leg before inspecting the heel of his hand that he’d used to brace himself against the fall.

“Are you okay?” comes Willem’s voice from above him, Mathias using his uninjured hand to shield his eyes against the sun as he looks up at the other. 

“Yeah. My pride is more bruised than my ego,” he assures, pushing himself to sit upright and then get to his feet. “Just a bit of road rash on my hand, is all.”

The Dutchman takes Mathias’ hand, carefully brushing his thumb over the injury to help remove the dirt, before lifting his hand to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to the palm. “We’ll head home now and get it bandaged up,” he says, but Mathias hardly hears his words over the sound of his own heartbeat thudding in his ears. Nodding dumbly, he picks his pick up and remounts, following Willem back to town and through the streets, blinking when they stop outside a house with a perfectly kept garden at the front.

“This is your place?” Mathias asks, internally rolling his eyes at himself for asking a question with such an obvious answer. Dismounting his bike, he props it against the fence, following Willem inside once he’s unlocked the door. Pausing to remove his shoes, he trails after his boss as he makes his way through his house and to the bathroom, where he pulls out a small first aid kit. 

“Give me your hand,” Willem says, to which Mathias obeys, holding it still over the sink where it’s positioned and watching as his faux-nurse washes the area clean with saline first before ripping open an antiseptic wipe, earning a hiss of discomfort from the Dane as he wipes over the injury. A large, self-adhesive bandage is then placed over it, and Mathias grins as he smooths his thumb over the edges of it.

“Thanks,” he says. He could’ve easily gone home and cleaned up the injury himself, but he feels the placebo effect of his infatuation having looked after him without even being asked to. 

“You’re welcome,” Willem says, glancing at Mathias in the mirror before them as he tidies the first aid kit up and puts it back in its place. “Don’t fall off next time.” There’s a teasing lilt to his voice.

“But if I don’t fall off, you won’t kiss my hand again,” Mathias says with a pout.

“Won’t I?” Willem asks. There’s a barely noticeable furrow between his brows as he lifts a hand to cup Mathias’ cheek and jaw, simply watching him for a moment, gauging his reaction before he closes the gap between them, brushing their lips together in a soft kiss. 

At first, Mathias is too shocked to return the kiss despite registering what was about to happen when Willem cupped his face. When the Dutchman starts to pull back, he’s quick to fist a hand in his shirt, keeping him from pulling back as his brain finally kicks into gear and he returns the kiss. Of all the thoughts that go through his head, the main one is how nice it feels so kiss someone who is taller than himself. 

Finally, after what felt like hours but was really only minutes, Mathias pulls back, sucking in a deep breath as he opens his eyes to look up at Willem. “Guess I was wrong then,” he says, his voice a little raspy until he clears his throat. A smile spreads across his face, so wide that his cheeks ache, when the other gives him a proper smile, his usually neutral expression softening into something fond.

“Now you know you don’t need to come off your bike for a kiss,” Willem says simply, stroking his thumb over Mathias’ cheek before stepping away from him. “Coffee? How do you take it?” Once again, Mathias trails after the taller man, from the bathroom and into the kitchen. He sits himself down at the dining table, watching as Willem takes down two mugs and preps his coffee machine. 

There’s a thought that wanders through Mathias’ mind at Willem’s wording that he’s quick to crush down into the depths to be thought about when he’s home alone in the darkness of his room, clearing his throat before saying, “Black.. three sugars, please.” He smiles sheepishly when he’s given a look over a set of broad shoulders, but the headmaster complies and makes the drink as requested, soon sitting down across from Mathias and sliding one of the floral patterned mugs across the table to him, holding his own in his other hand. 

Taking up his own mug, he blows across the surface before taking a careful sip, humming in satisfaction. “This is good coffee,” he says, looking at Willem over the rim of his mug. “Maybe I’ll have to come around for a cup every morning before work.”

“I spend the money on a good roast,” the taller man answers. “It’s worth it. And if you want to get up earlier to stop by, I can leave my door unlocked. We can ride to the campus together. Or you can bring me a thermos so I can take some to school to you.” Mathias is honestly surprised by the offers, but he knows he’d be a fool to reject them. 

“Yeah. That’d be really nice,” he says softly, taking another mouthful of his coffee in an attempt to use the mug to hide his pink cheeks, but the look on Willem’s face tells Mathias he’s failed. 

Their conversation is easy as they finish off their drinks, which surprises Mathias, knowing that Willem wasn’t exactly a conversationalist. When his coffee is finished and his mug is rinsed, he glances at his watch and then out the window at the darkened sky with a soft sigh. “I best head home,” he says, only now feeling awkward as he rubs one socked foot against the calf of his other leg. “Thank you for patching me up, and the coffee. And the ride too, even though I kind of ruined that…”

“Not ruined,” Willem assures as he stands to show Mathias to the door. “After all, if you hadn’t of come off, would you be here now?” When it’s put that way, Mathias can’t deny the turn of events was definitely for the best. Bending down to pull his shoes back on, he rubs the back of his head when he straightens up again.

“See you Monday?” he asks, even though he knows he will.

“Yes,” Willem answers, seemingly amused at another question with an obvious answer being asked. Reaching out to take hold of Mathias’ wrist in a gentle grip, he leans in to give him another soft kiss. “See you Monday.”

Mathias has to step back before he presses Willem up against his own door and makes out with him for all the neighbours to see, giving a slight wave before turning and scolding himself as he grabs his bike, mounting and cycling home, his head filled entirely with thoughts of Willem. 

* * *

The second day of his weekend is spent telling Svein and Erik in great detail what had happened on his ride with Willem. His friends seem hesitant to congratulate him, but not even that can dampen the Dane’s good mood, though he does hope if he and Willem become something serious that his friends will come to approve.

When Monday comes around, Mathias sets his alarm half an hour earlier to get up and ready before cycling over to the Dutchman’s house, having memorised the way even if he didn’t take note of the address. Dismounting his bike and propping it up against the side, Mathias makes sure his clothing is straight before knocking on the door, only now realising how much of a fool he’d be making of himself if the other man hadn’t actually been serious with his offer.

He’s just about to grab his bike and head back home when the door opens, revealing a shirtless Willem, his hair mused and laying across his forehead instead of its usual pompadour style. Mathias feels his mouth go dry at the sight, azure eyes raking over the toned abdomen the other man boasts before snapping back up to his face, trying to hold back the blush rising to his cheeks. 

“Sorry- I didn’t mean to wake you. I just thought you’d be awake by now…” He rubs the back of his neck, looking over Willem’s shoulder to try stop himself from letting his gaze drift lower than the waistline of the boxer-briefs that aren’t doing much to keep the other’s modesty. 

“I should have been awake,” Willem grumbles in answer. “I mustn’t have turned my alarm on properly last night. Come in, I’ll get dressed and make coffee and we can go.” Mathias steps inside and removes his dress shoes, waiting in the kitchen as the other disappears to get dressed, returning in a well fitted grey suit that was almost as nice as seeing him in just his underwear.

“Guess it’s good I decided to come by then, huh?” Mathias asks, watching as Willem moves around his kitchen with comfortable ease, preparing himself a quick breakfast as the coffee brews. 

“Marie or Gabriël would’ve come around if I was late, but yes. I’d prefer you waking me up than either of my siblings. They always like to tease me about it for as long as they can milk it.” Willem rolls his eyes, sighing. “Three sugars, yes?” 

Mathias makes an affirmative sound, passing two mugs over to the Dutchman when he reaches for them. “I knew Marie was your sister, I heard her call you brother one day and assumed you wouldn’t let anyone but a relation call you that… But Gabriël too? How many of the staff are your family?” He gives a soft laugh to assure the other that he’s merely joking in his question.

“They’re people I trust,” Willem says easily, spooning sugar into one of the mugs before pouring the coffee, the smell of it filling the kitchen and making Mathias breathe in deeply. “We work well together, and they’re good at their jobs. And I don’t feel so bad getting angry at them if they do something wrong. The sibling rivalry remains even in adults.” A smile curls his lips as he turns to hand Mathias his mug, letting their fingers brush in the exchange. 

Mathias laughs at that, accepting the mug and taking a sip, scalding his tongue in his eagerness for caffeine. “I do see the resemblance when I think about it,” he says thoughtfully, tapping his fingers against the heated ceramic in his hands. “They’re both just a little… softer than you.” He wouldn’t change anything about Willem though, leaning over to kiss his cheek. He does make a mental note to go and talk to Marie and Gabriël about Willem though, hoping they’d tell him that the headmaster had talked to them about him. 

After quickly finishing their coffee, Willem leads the way outside, taking up his own bicycle so they can cycle to the university together. It’s a shorter distance from the headmaster’s house than Mathias’, but the Dane finds the early morning exercise invigorating, following the other to chain his bike to the bike racks before unstrapping his back to sling over a shoulder. “I’ll see you later then, I guess,” Mathias says, reaching out to straighten Willem’s tie for him. “Have a good day, Mr. Van der Meer.” 

He grins when that earns a soft chuckle, before humming in contentment when the Dutchman initiates a brief kiss. “Goodbye, Mr. Østergaard. Have a good official first day,” he says, before turning to walk towards the administration building and his office. Mathias sighs as he walks away; he hated saying goodbye, but he did love watching him go, especially when Willem’s slacks did wonders for his ass.

* * *

Mathias thinks his first lecture goes splendidly, his nerves having quickly dissipated as he settled back into the rhythm of standing in front of so many people and teaching. His mood is good enough to rival how he felt after Willem first kissed him the other day thanks to the students that had come up to compliment him on his first lecture, putting a spring in his step as he makes his way to the administration building. When he enters, the receptionist looks up before smirking when she sees who it is. 

“Ah, Mathias. Here for Willem?” she asks knowingly, hiding a giggle behind her hand. Mathias grins as he comes to lean against the counter, resting his chin in his palm.

“No, actually. As much as I like seeing his handsome face, I’m here to talk to you, if you have the time.” The main entrance was empty aside from Marie, so Mathias was pretty sure he wasn’t interrupting much. 

“Oh? I have a feeling what about…” Marie taps her red lacquered nails against the screen of her phone, her smirk still in place. “Willem has liked you from the moment you first stepped foot into his office. He’s been watching you, you’ve just been too busy watching him to notice.”

While that had been exactly what he came to the pretty receptionist to talk about, he can’t help the heat of embarrassment rising to his cheek at having been so obvious. “He has?” Mathias asks dumbly. “Oh. Well… I assumed he would have been. He certainly doesn’t seem the type of person to kiss someone out of the blue-” He stops speaking when Marie suddenly holds up a hand, watching as she reaches to press a single number on her landline phone. 

“Gabriël, get out here now. We’re getting all the gossip about Willem from Mathias.” There’s a muffled sound from the other end of the phone line, before a door down the hallway opens and Gabriël appears, coming to stand beside his sister, their expressions nearly identical as they look at the Dane. “Tell us everything. Well, nearly everything… There are things we don’t need to know about our brother.”

Mathias can’t help but laugh, easily able to see the resemblance between them now that they were standing side by side. He launches into the story of Willem inviting him out for a bicycle ride, how he staked it being distracted by the other man, and how he’d been taken to his house and patched up before they had their first kiss together. Marie clasps her hands in delight when Mathias finishes speaking, looking to her brother.

“Isn’t it great that he’s finally found someone?” she asks, Gabriël nodding in easy agreement. 

“I think he needs someone like you, Mr. Østergaard,” he says earnestly. “Someone to help lighten him up a little. He’s always been a pretty serious person, and the weight of his workload certainly doesn’t help that. I don’t think he’s had a relationship for several years… He’s been with people in that time, but never romantically. Marie and I haven’t seen him so happy for far too long.”

With Gabriël’s words, Mathias’ heart swells but he’s unable to respond before the bell above the door rings, the headmaster himself stepping in. “Talking about me, are we?” he asks, coming to stand beside Mathias; the Dane feels a brief touch to his back, biting his lip to hide his smile. “My ears were burning.”

“We would never talk about you behind your back, brother,” Marie says innocently, but her expression gives it all away, earning a roll of the eyes from Willem. Mathias nudges the taller man gently with an elbow, before letting their hands brush together out of the sight of the other two siblings. 

“I was simply telling them how fond I am of you already,” he says, stopping himself from leaning up to kiss the other, having a feeling he wouldn’t be all that fond of PDA. Still, the soft smile that Willem gives him is just as good as a kiss, their gazes remaining locked for a moment before the headmaster looks back to his two staff members. 

“Back to work now,” Willem says, shooing Gabriël back down the hallway to his office before gathering up the letters that had come in for him off Marie’s desk. “Is there anything else you needed, Mathias?”

The Dane gives a cheerful, “Nope,” in response, earning a hum in response before the Dutchman excuses himself to his office. 

“He doesn’t smile like that at anyone else,” Marie says in a hushed voice. “But he’ll know if we keep talking… I best get back to work. I’ll see you later, Mathias.”

* * *

The weeks turn into months, and Mathias doesn’t think he’s ever been happier. His lectures go well, and he’s spotted Willem in the back of the lecture hall more than once, something he teases the Dutchman about when he catches up with him on the walk back across campus. Mathias stopping by the other’s house for coffee in the morning becomes him heading back from the university with Willem and spending the night. They lay in bed in the comforting darkness and talk about whatever comes to mind, their fingers loosely interlocked between them until they fall asleep; they usually wake up tangled together in some manner, taking their time in leaving the warmth of the bed and each other’s touch.

It’s coming into the half-year mark when Mathias gets a text from Svein that he and Erik are making the trip to the Netherlands to visit him, and that they expect to meet Willem while they’re there. While Mathias had been expecting his friends to express the desire to meet his partner, there’s still a nervousness that settles into his body and remains as the time until the pair make their way south grows smaller. 

He neglects telling Willem about the visitors until only the day before their arrival. They’re laying in bed after showering, dressed only in their underwear, when Mathias shifts onto his side to look at the Dutchman as he reaches up to brush an errant strand of hair away from the handsome man’s face. “So… My two friends from university are coming down to visit… And they would like to meet you.” 

Willem’s gaze slides from the ceiling to Mathias, raising an eyebrow at him even as he leans into his touch. “Is that so?” he asks. “It is Svein and Erik you are talking about, yes?” Mathias had, at least, talked about his university days and his friends to his partner, so they weren’t entirely unknown. 

“Yeah. They wanna meet you. Would that be alright? I know I left it until the last moment to tell you… They’re kind of arriving tomorrow?” Green eyes narrow slightly at the Dane, before a sigh slips pasts Willem’s lips. 

“I guess I have no choice in the matter, do I? Even if I say no, I bet they’ll find a way to meet me.” Mathias smiles sheepishly, nodding. 

“Yeah. Sorry, Wim… I just didn’t want to make you stress about meeting them when you already have so much on your plate. I thought it’d be better to spring it on you.” He wriggles a little closer, giving the other his irresistible puppy dog eyes, earning another sigh before a kiss is pressed to the tip of his nose.

“It’s fine, Mat. I know you were just being considerate, in your weird way.” That earns a relieved smile, Mathias nuzzling up against Willem’s cheek before tucking his head underneath the other’s chin. 

“I was thinking dinner at my place tomorrow night, if you can come around,” he says, closing his eyes as he listens to Willem’s steady breathing and heartbeat. “Their flight gets in around two in the afternoon, so I’ll drive out and pick them up. I’ll give you my spare key, so if you finish at the university before I get home, you can just let yourself in. And then, maybe, we can cook together..?” Mathias lifts his head again to look at the other, gauging his reaction; over the months, he had learned how to read the subtleties in Willem’s expression, able to read emotions where most people simply saw a blank mask. 

“Sounds a decent enough idea to me,” Willem agrees. “Sleep now. You’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.” Mathias nods, giving his partner one last kiss before he lays his head on his own pillow and closes his eyes, sleep coming easily to him. 

They wake with the alarm the next morning and go about the routine they were slowly building together. Mathias has a small section in Willem’s wardrobe of his own clothing to save a time-consuming ride back to his own place, and after helping the headmaster pick a tie that compliments his chosen shirt, they make coffee and have breakfast, listening to the morning news on the radio before cycling to the university campus. Once they’ve arrived and chained up their bicycles at the racks, they share a quick kiss before they go their separate ways and start their workday. It feels familiar and homey and Mathias loves everything about it. 

Mathias has only one tutorial to give that day before he needs to cycle home and take out his car to make the drive to the airport to pick up Erik and Svein. Waiting at the gate for the arrivals from the flight he was told his friends would be on, he’s surprised when he spots not only the Norwegian and Swede, but a Finn and Icelander as well. “Tapio? Friðrik?” His surprise turns to joy, hurrying forwards to wrap first Tapio and then Friðrik up in tight embraces. “I didn’t know you guys were coming!” Erik and Svein also receive hugs, and it warms Mathias’ heart that the two who usually refrain from physical affection return the embraces.

“When Erik and Svein told us they were coming down to see you, we thought we’d come along too,” Tapio says, shrugging. “I do hope that isn’t a bother. We found a hotel in town so we don’t have to crowd your apartment. We remembered you saying it’s quite small.”

“Of course it’s not a bother!” Mathias assures quickly. “It’s really nice to see you all again… It’s been so long.” He begins to lead the way to where the four visitors can collect their luggage before they all make their way out to Mathias’ car. It takes a bit of careful packing to get all of them and the luggage in, but it’s somehow managed before Mathias sets them on the road back to his apartment, excitedly telling his very full carload of guests about his job, the town, and Willem. 

“He’s coming over for dinner tonight,” he says, glancing in the rearview to look at the three in the back seat squished together; Erik, being the largest, was in the passenger, leaving Svein, Tapio, and Friðrik to suffer together. “I really hope you guys like him… He might not seem like it at first, but he’s actually really sweet. He’s just got a thick shell. And he’s really smart. I think it’s hot.” There’s a dreamy expression on the Dane’s face; Friðrik, being the youngest by nearly a decade, quietly makes a disgusted sound, earning a jab in the side from Svein. “I know I don’t need permission from any of you, or anything nonsensical like that, but it would be so nice if you all get along.” Mathias pauses, biting his lip for a moment. “I really am falling in love with him…”

There’s silence in the car for a moment, and Mathias quickly grows nervous before the a low hum from the passenger seat. “Glad you’ve found someone, Mathias,” Erik says, and there’s a murmur of agreement from the back seat. The Dane releases a relieved sigh, his shoulders relaxing again. 

“Thanks guys. That means a lot.” For the last few minutes of the trip, Mathias remains quiet and contemplative, concentrating as he parks his car before leading his four guests upstairs and down the hallway. Checking the door before he spends the next minute locating his apartment key on his overcrowded keyring, he smiles happily when he finds it unlocked. “Wim?” he calls as he steps inside, the other four following after him to stand awkwardly in the entryway after the front door has been shut and locked.

The Dutchman appears from the living room, giving Mathias a barely there smile before looking over the other Nordics. “He’s really tall,” Friðrik whispers to Svein, who shushes the younger before stepping forwards and offering Willem a hand.

“Svein Welhaven Berg,” he says. “It’s nice to meet you. Mathias constantly goes on about you.” With the Norwegian having taken the lead, the other three follow after him; Erik, Tapio, and then Friðrik. Willem greets everyone in return, welcoming them to the Netherlands but not saying much else. Mathias manages to usher everyone into the living area to settle down on the couches, listening to the conversation as he makes up a fresh pot of coffee. The matter-of-fact answers that Willem providers to questions directed at him make Mathias smile as he loads up the coffee tray to bring out and settle on the low table between the couches, putting together a cup how his partner likes to hand to him before working on his own, finally settling down next to the Dutchman and kissing his cheek softly.

They talk for an hour before Svein suggests they head to the hotel to check in and drop off their luggage and take the time to freshen up before returning for dinner. Mathias hands his car keys over to the Norwegian, the apartment soon left to the couple. Willem looks to the Dane, before reaching out to cup his chin and draw him into a slow kiss. 

“Been waiting to do that all afternoon,” he says against Mathias’ lips before pulling back, smiling softly at the other before getting to his feet. “What did you have in mind for dinner?” Mathias is left a little dazed by the kiss, but eventually joins Willem in the kitchen. By the time the four guests return, the table has been crowded with chairs and neatly set, with Mathias managing to find six roughly similar plates to serve their meals out on. 

“Perfect timing!” he says as he opens the front door to admit everyone back into the apartment, just as Willem pulls dinner from the oven. “I’m sorry the table isn’t exactly the right size… I suggested we just sit on the couch to eat but Wim didn’t approve.” There’s a noncommittal sound from the Dutchman, but Mathias can tell he’s amused. “Sit down. What do we want to drink?”

Though the kitchen is small, Willem and Mathias easily work around each other even without talking. Soon, everyone has food and a drink of some kind before them, sat shoulder to shoulder around Mathias’ small dining table. Their conversation continues on from earlier in the afternoon, until someone mentions that Mathias hadn’t had a serious relationship since he and Svein were together in university. Mathias shoots them an unimpressed look; he had told Willem that his last relationship that was longer than only a couple of months had been in university, but nothing about the person he’d been in it with, and now Willem not only knew, but was sitting directly across from him. 

The end of Svein and Mathias’ relationship had been messy, and if it hadn’t been for Mathias’ wholehearted attempts to rebuild his friendship with the Norwegian then Svein certainly wouldn’t be visiting. Mathias wasn’t even sure if he’d be in contact with any of his four friends crowded around the table. A gentle hand settles on the Dutchman’s knee in reassurance, before Mathias moves the conversation on to strange things his students had said in lectures and labs. 

The rest of dinner passes easily, though an undercurrent of tension remains in the room until Erik suggests they say goodbye and return to the hotel for the night to rest, as they had a big day planned when the sun rose again. In return for the thanks for the meal, Mathias hugs each of his friends goodnight at the door, sighing heavily when he finally shuts it behind them and locks it once again. 

“Well, now you know,” he says as he comes back into the kitchen to help clear the table and load the dishwasher. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was important… Svein and I have moved on, and now we’re good friends again. We’ve learned from our mistakes.” 

“I’m only upset because when you told me you had a bad break up, I could tell how much it hurt you, Mathias,” Willem cuts in, setting the dishwasher on its regular cycle and pressing start before turning to look at the slightly shorter man. “I am upset that _he_ is the one who hurt you, yet _you_ put in the effort to rebuild your friendship.” Mathias frowns at that, shrugging as he looks away.

“Yeah. I guess that kind of sucked. But Svein put in effort too once he knew I was being honest in wanting to be friends again. I think he thought I was just wanting to be friends with him so I could make him feel how I felt, y’know? But I don’t really want to talk about it, if that’s okay… I have you now.” Mathias steps forwards, snaking his arms around Willem’s waist and tilting his chin up to kiss the Dutchman softly. For a moment, he simply looks at the other before whispering, “I love you, Wim. You’re who is important to me.” Mathias can hear Willem’s breath hitch in his throat momentarily, a hand curling against his back to hold the material of his shirt.

“I love you too, Mathias,” he responds, a soft expression settling on his face. They stand in the kitchen together, holding each other, not needing to speak for the next few minutes. Mathias knows he could hear those words every day for the rest of his life and never tire of them.

“Let’s get to bed,” Willem says when Mathias’ watch beeps on the hour, stepping back from the Dane to stretch his arm above his head with a satisfied groan before reaching to take one of his hands, leading the way down the short hallway and into the bedroom. Not even bothering to turn the light on, the pair strip down and crawl under the covers, Mathias guiding Willem to settle up close behind him before falling asleep, feeling safe and loved in the Dutchman’s embrace.

* * *

Their half a year together becomes one year, and then two. Mathias can hardly believe how quickly the time has passed since he first made the move to the Netherlands, got a job, and found the love of his life. There are, as to be expected, days where things don’t go to plan. Though rare, they do have their disagreements and quarrels. Sometimes Mathias doesn’t get to see Willem for days at a time when he has to travel for meetings with the education board. Times like then make him realise just how much he’s come to appreciate the Dutchman’s steady presence and company, and it’s one of those times, several weeks after celebrating their two year anniversary, that Mathias makes up his mind and throws himself into research while there’s no risk of Willem coming around unexpectedly. 

It doesn’t take him long to settle on a purchase, gushing to the jeweller about Willem as the chosen ring is carefully packed in its velvet box and handed over to the Dane. Returning home, he spends fifteen minutes finding the perfect hiding place for it, where the Dutchman won’t find it, and Mathias himself won’t forget where he stowed it. 

It’s hard for Mathias not to tell Willem about the purchase, so into the habit of telling his partner everything that he did and purchased, but he somehow manages to restrain himself from doing so by telling himself how much he would regret ruining something that he’s planned out more than his lectures for university. 

Four days after Mathias had bought and hidden the ring, he receives a text from Willem; the conferences had ended early and he’d managed to swap his flight in order to get home two days before he was meant to. Mathias tells the other that he’s silly for even needing to ask if he wants to come over to spend the night and assures Willem that he’ll be there within half an hour, shucking his house clothes for something a little more appropriate to be seen out in public in. Locking his house, he takes his bicycle and sets off, the late afternoon breeze making the ride an easy one. 

Mathias knows the route to Willem’s house like the back of his hand, after having ridden it for two years. Coming to cross the street, he throws a glance over his shoulder and thinking it safe, starts to pedal across; a flash of headlights are the last thing that he sees before his bike is cleaned out from underneath him. Despite the pain that arcs through his body, all that Mathias can think about is the embarrassment he felt when he stacked it on the first ride he’d gone on with Willem. 

Blinking up at the darkening sky after he’s made contact with the still sun-warmed bitumen, he tries to assess his injuries, noting with relief that he’s able to wriggle his fingers and toes, though the latter makes pain spread throughout his left leg. In his blurred peripheral vision, he can see someone chewing their thumbnail as they speak on the phone before another person kneels by his side, telling him to remain still and that an ambulance is on the way. 

Mathias manages an affirmative sound, but his vision is starting to blur around the edges and he quickly gives into the urge to close his eyes, only opening then again when he hears the siren of the ambulance growing in volume before falling silent as it pulls up next to him. There’s soon a pair of medics beside him, assessing his situation, asking him questions; he only has a vague recollection of telling them his name and then finding himself in the ambulance, attached to several machines, a brace fastened about his neck. The trip to the hospital in the back of the vehicle is also a blur, and once they arrive, he’s taken to have his broken leg set after a scan done to make sure the impact to his head hadn’t caused anything serious. The entire series of events are hazy to Mathias; the next thing he knows, he’s waking up alone in a hospital room, lit by the machines around him and the exit light over the doorway. 

Groaning quietly, he tries and fails to sit himself up with a wince, reaching to tap at the hardened cast about his left leg. Looking about himself, he manages to locate the nurses’ button, pressing it and smiling groggily at the member of staff who comes to attend to him. 

“Glad to see you’re awake, Mr. Østergaard,” the nurse says, taking his chart and updating his vitals. “How’re you feeling?” 

“Miserable,” Mathias admits. “How much damage did I do?” The nurse checks his morphine drip and ups his dosage a little, listing the injuries he’d sustained; a clean snap in his left leg, several fractured ribs, a concussion, and quite a bit of road rash over his arms and face. 

“You’ll be here a few days for monitoring,” the nurse says, handing him a glass of water poured from the jug that’s sat on his bedside table. Mathias drains it in two big mouthfuls, relieved to rid of the cotton ball feeling that had settled in his mouth. “Is there anyone you would like us to contact for you? We did find a photo of a man in your wallet, but no details.”

Mathias curses under his breath when he’s suddenly reminded of where he’d been cycling to; he wondered if Willem was worried about him, if there were messages and missed calls left on his phone. “Yeah. My partner, Willem…” He gives the nurse the Dutchman’s number, who jots it down on the bottom of Mathias’ chart.

“When visiting hours come around in the morning, we’ll contact him,” she assures. “Now, if there’s nothing else you need, try get some more rest.” Mathias is left alone in the room again, sighing heavily and wincing in pain at the strain it puts on his injured ribs. Despite his general discomfort, he does manage to drift off to sleep again, waking when weak sunlight filters through the blinds on the window. 

Breakfast is brought around shortly after his awakening, as well as a bag with his belongings; Mathias is grateful to have his phone again, though the screen is cracked badly enough to make it hard to read. His first instinct is to text Willem, though he hesitates once he’s opened up their message thread; maybe it would be best to leave it to the hospital staff to contact him. Surely they’d have a better way of explaining why he was in the hospital than his plan to simply text, _got hit by a car yesterday lol_. Exhaling careful to save his ribs, he sets his phone aside to focus on his breakfast, only now thinking about how hungry he actually is.

The time until visitors are allowed passes by slowly, and Mathias is dozing peacefully thanks to the amount of morphine being pumped through his system when Willem arrives. The sound of a chair moving on the linoleum floor has him opening his eyes, smiling when he sees the taller man settling down beside the bed.

“Hey,” he says. “How’re you?” There’s a short laugh from Willem, who pushes a hand through his hair, drawing Mathias’ attention to how it’s not pushed up in its usual style.

“I should be the one asking you that,” the headmaster says. “You had be worried, idiot.” He reaches to pick up Mathias’ shattered phone, sighing. “I guess this explains why you weren’t taking my calls… The nurses say you’ll be fine, which is nice to hear after learning you’d been hit by a car.” 

The Dane smiles sheepishly, reaching out to take Willem’s hand and link their fingers as best he can with the pulse oximeter attached to his finger. “Yeah… Sorry about that,” he says. “For the record, I really didn’t plan on getting hit by a car. They just came out of nowhere. It could’ve been a lot worse though, so I guess the nurses are right in saying I’ll be fine.” He squeezes Willem’s hand gently, before gesturing to the cast on his left leg. “Be the first to sign it for me?” 

Willem can’t help but sigh fondly, leaning over the bedside to press a kiss to Mathias’ forehead before fishing a pen out of the pocket of his jacket. “Might have to wait until I can get you home to sign it properly,” he says, “but I’ll make a claim on my area for now.” Right in the middle of Mathias’ plastered shin, the Dutchman writes his name in neat cursive, and even adds a little heart at the end, nodding in satisfaction. “I’ll go over it with a permanent marker when we get home,” he states, settling back into his chair. 

Satisfied with Willem’s handiwork, Mathias carefully shifts onto his side to see his partner better. “I’ve only broken my leg one other time,” he says with a reminiscent hum. “When I thought it’d be a good idea to jump out of my window and onto the trampoline. Put my leg through the springs, snapped it then too.” He remembers screaming, and his mother screaming when she came out to see his leg bent at such an awkward angle. “I don’t know what’s cooler… That, or getting hit by a car.”

Willem rolls his eyes, crossing his arms as he settles further down into his chair. “I’m in love with an idiot,” he says. “Fortunately, I knew a long time ago what I signed up for.” Mathias grins, blurting out his wild thoughts before he can bite them back.

“Marry me then,” he says, his smile melting into an earnest, hopeful expression. “I had everything planned for a fancy proposal, but somehow, this feels like the right moment. More me. Marry me, Wim. I- The ring is at home, I can tell you where it is if you want to go find it.”

He’s cut off from saying anything more by a hand placed over his mouth, which is probably a wise move on Willem’s behalf or Mathias would keep blabbing on. “Yes,” Willem answers, slowly withdrawing his hand to make sure the Dane isn’t too loud in his reaction. “If you’re serious, yes. I will marry you.”

Mathias bites his lip as Willem removes his hand from his mouth, wishing he could get up to hug his partner - his fiancé. “I love you,” he says, reaching out to take the Dutchman’s hand before it can retreat too far, bringing it back to his lips to press a kiss to his knuckles. “So very much, Wim.” 

“Hm. I would hope so with the question you just asked,” Willem says, the smile he reserves just for Mathias spreading across his lips. “I love you too, Mat. You know that. Even if you do go get hit by cars and then think proposing to me from your hospital bed is romantic.” With the Dutchman’s way of speaking, it’d be hard for anyone else to tell that he’s teasing. 

Mathias gives a sheepish smile, releasing Willem’s hand to instead fiddle with the buttons on his bed, sitting himself more upright, adjusting the pillows behind his back until he’s comfortable. “It’ll be a fun story to tell at our wedding,” he points out. “And with me being stuck like this for a little while… I guess that gives me some time to start planning the ceremony. That is, if you’ll grant me sick leave.” 

“Don’t be daft. Of course I will. Like I expect you to come in and teach in the state you’re in. I’ll set Gabriёl onto lining up another professor to take care of your lectures until you can work without straining yourself.” Willem presses a gentle kiss to Mathias’ forehead after smoothing the wayward strands of his hair out of the way. “Get some more rest, mop. I’ll be here when you wake, if they don’t kick me out.”

Mathias gives a huff, but he can feel his eyelids slipping shut even as he pouts in defiance. “I won’t let them kick you out,” he says, reaching for the other man’s hand again to tangle their fingers together. “You gotta stay. They’ll let you now we’re engaged.” He smiles again; simply saying it was enough to make his heart skip a beat. “I’ll try not to sleep too long… I don’t want you to be bored.” 

The morphine that his drip is slowly, steadily delivering into his body has him slipping back under before he can allow himself to fall asleep again. Willem can only smile fondly, keeping a hold on Mathias’ hand as he carefully lowers his bed back out of such an upright position before pulling a novel from the bag he’d brought with himself, propping it up against Mathias’ body to read as the Danish man gets his much required rest. 

* * *

Mathias heals, though it takes longer than it perhaps should’ve in his determination to get back to moving around; he never had been one for sitting down long, and he wasn’t going to let a few injuries stop him, however detrimental it may be to his health. Not even Willem’s frustration with his stubbornness slows him down much, though he doesn’t like seeing his fiancé upset and knowing that he’s the cause of it. 

When he returns to teaching, he’s still in his cast, which soon becomes crowded with the signatures of his students. When he finally gets it removed, he’s incredibly amused by his now comically thinner leg, quick to get back into exercising to regain the muscle so he isn’t left lopsided for his quickly upcoming wedding. 

The one upside to having so much time off was that Mathias had been able to get stuck into planning the wedding. It had been easy for him and Willem to decide on a springtime event, finding a botanical garden that will allow them to use the grounds to host the main ceremony before shifting to another venue for the reception. They go out suit shopping together when Mathias’ leg isn’t made too bulky by the cast to try on slacks; he settles on a maroon suit, while Willem goes for grey, the two colours complimenting each other nicely even if they certainly weren’t traditional for a wedding. 

News had spread very rapidly around the university campus and its population that the headmaster and one of the science professors were to be married in the spring. Mathias receives endless emails of congratulations from students he’s taught, and from some he’s never even met. They continue to come in even after the ceremony thanks to a photo of Mathias and Willem hand in hand at the altar being published in the university newsletter. 

Married life is not all that different to life before they officially became husbands. Aside from Mathias moving in with Willem, saving the morning cycle over to the Dutchman’s house for a cup of coffee before work, things stay nearly as they were. Despite neither of them taking the other’s surname, Mathias still feels a rush of happiness when students call him Mr. Van der Meer or he hears someone refer to Willem as Mr. Østergaard. It’s not that he could ever forget he was married to the headmaster, it was more a moment of _Yes. That man is my husband and everyone knows it._ The band of gold on his ring finger becomes something he hardly ever removes, feeling almost naked whenever he happens to do so. 

There are times he wakes up besides Willem in the morning and has to pinch himself to help realise this is his reality. He never imagined that moving to the Netherlands to find work would result in him ending up with someone who he felt was truly his other half. Despite a messy ending to a romantic relationship with Svein, he’s still friends with the Norwegian, not to mention Erik, Tapio, and Friðrik. He has a secure job, and (a majority of) good students. He has new friends in Marie, Gabriël, and Matthieu. Not to mention Willem; his husband and his best friend. Sometimes he wonders what his life would be like if he hadn’t taken the chance in leaving Denmark, but then reminds himself it’s not worth thinking about those things when he couldn’t be any happier with the life he’s made for himself right where he is.


End file.
